This is a new sidewalk astronomy ministry group called “Psalm 19 Astronomy” that was started in June 2016 in downtown Austin, Texas USA. This ministry is based on Psalm 19:1-2 written by King David about 3000 years ago:

“The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they reveal knowledge”

– Psalm 19:1-2

This new ministry is a great way to share God’s word in a gentle manner while showing people God’s beautiful world through a telescope. The ministry mission is “Sharing the beauty and majesty of God’s universe through astronomy.” Members simply host sidewalk astronomy events a few times per year in a high pedestrian traffic area near where they live. I have been hosting mine on the Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge near downtown Austin, TX since June 2016. About 1100 people have accepted our offer to look in our telescope at the Moon and planets between June and November of last year. See an attached image with photo of one event.

The real story of this ministry is about the people we meet and the lives we touch with this ministry. While most people only stop by for a few minutes, there are several each night who hang around for over an hour asking questions about the night sky and God. And several people are frequent visitors. You can read about some of these stories on our Psalm 19 Astronomy Facebook group page.

A key sharing part of the event is to pass out Psalm 19 Astronomy cards to passersby who look into the telescope. The cards have an image of the nine planets on the front along with the Psalm 19:1-2 verses (yes, I still count Pluto as a planet.) The backside has educational information about each of the planets. See the attachment with the image of the front and backsides of the card. I have the artwork ready to share for free for you to have printed at your own expense either locally or through online businesses.

God is already growing this ministry. There are three associate astronomers who have already joined Psalm 19 Astronomy:

Brad who lives near Ft. Worth, TX and also summers in the Badlands National Park

Terry who lives near Charlotte, NC

Brandon who works at NASA in Clear Lake, TX

Marvin who lives near Mesquite, TX

I fully expect that God will continue to grow this ministry in 2017 to other cities across America – and maybe even across the world.

There is no cost to become a member of this ministry. If anyone is interested in being a part of this ministry then please reply to this post or go to the Facebook page Psalm 19 Astronomy (https://www.facebook.com/groups/psalm19astronomy/) and ask to join that group.

Our next Psalm 19 Astronomy Society event will be on Friday June 22, 2018 at 8:30 PM. We will look at the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn, and Venus.

Psalm 19 Astronomy Society is an educational sidewalk astronomy ministry with the mission to share the beauty and majesty of God’s universe through astronomy. We seek to demonstrate that there can be harmony between God’s World, the universe, and God’s Word, the Bible, since God is the creator of both. Based on Psalm 19:1-2 written by King David about 3000 years ago when he wrote:

1 The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

2 Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they reveal knowledge.

They reveal knowledge about the God who created the universe and each and every one of us.

Our theme will be “Thank God for the Jupiter!” and we will be handing out educational cards detailing how the Jupiter helps to make Earth habitable for humans.

We set up on the Austin Hike & Bike Pedestrian Bridge which runs just east of S. Lamar Blvd. Bridge (at the intersection of W. Riverside Drive and S. Lamar.)

There is free on-street or lot parking available along W. Riverside Drive.

NOTE: This event is subject to be cancelled due to cloud cover or inclement weather. The rain date will be Saturday June 23 at 8:30 PM. Please go to our Psalm 19 Astronomy Society group page on Facebook for updates. The group page will be updated 2 hours before the event.

Our next Psalm 19 Astronomy Society event will be on Friday May 25, 2018 at 8:30 PM. We will look at the Moon, Venus, and Jupiter.

Psalm 19 Astronomy Society is an educational sidewalk astronomy ministry with the mission to share the beauty and majesty of God’s universe through astronomy. We seek to demonstrate that there can be harmony between God’s World, the universe, and God’s Word, the Bible, since God is the creator of both. Based on Psalm 19:1-2 written by King David about 3000 years ago when he wrote:

1 The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

2 Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they reveal knowledge.

They reveal knowledge about the God who created the universe and each and every one of us.

Our theme will be “Thank God for the Jupiter!” and we will be handing out educational cards detailing how the Jupiter helps to make Earth habitable for humans.

We set up on the Austin Hike & Bike Pedestrian Bridge which runs just east of S. Lamar Blvd. Bridge (at the intersection of W. Riverside Drive and S. Lamar.)

There is free on-street or lot parking available along W. Riverside Drive.

NOTE: This event is subject to be cancelled due to cloud cover or inclement weather. The rain date will be Saturday May 26 at 8:30 PM. Please go to our Psalm 19 Astronomy Society group page on Facebook for updates. The group page will be updated 2 hours before the event.

Our next Psalm 19 Astronomy event in the Central Texas area will be on Saturday March 31 at the Horseshoe Bay Balloon Festival. We’ll set up at 7 PM for some solar viewing and then switch to observing the full Moon at sunset.

The skies were cloudy nearly from east to west 30 minutes before sunset. But the Clear Sky Report for Austin, TX indicated that the skies would clear up shortly after sunset. Things didn’t look promising when I got the the Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge at about 7:15 PM. I couldn’t even see the Moon directly overhead.

But by 8:00 PM the clouds were dissipating and the Moon because visible. I fetched my Celestron Nexstar Evolution 8″ telescope (8″ mirror) from my car and rolled in onto the bridge. John Darms had arrived with his Orion SkyQuest xTG 12 telescope (big 12″ mirror) on his rolling cart.

Whitney was the first to stop by to look at the Moon. Then along came Jay with his dog Luna – how appropriate was that!

About 100 people accepted our invitation to look at the Moon and the Great Orion Nebula in the very visible winter constellation Orion. I showed one group the star Sirius, the brightest star in the northern Hemisphere. It’s in the constellation Canus Major (Big Dog) and directly east of the constellation Orion. Some of the names I remember are John, Jennifer, Brian, Max, Sammy, Dan, Donnie, Rob, Ed, and Charlie.

We had several extended discussion with people about science and religion.